The following can be attributed to Nancy Wang, Executive Director of Voters Not Politicians:
Today’s random selection of 200 semi-finalists for Michigan’s first Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission marks another major step in Voters Not Politicians’ drive to end partisan gerrymandering in Michigan. The random selection process was a cornerstone of our efforts to prevent politicians from gaming the independent commission.
Now we enter the next phase, allowing legislative strikes of up to 10% of the names in the semi-finalist pool to provide another layer of protection against partisanship entering the process. In August, a final random selection of four Democrats, four Republicans and five Independent or third party voters will complete the selection process. From there, the Commission is constitutionally required to draw the state’s election district maps completely transparently, by consensus across parties, and with extensive public input, providing additional assurances that Michigan’s redistricting process will serve voters — not politicians, political parties, and special interests.
We are thrilled to see the fair, impartial, and transparent citizen-led redistricting process we envisioned becoming a reality in Michigan. We eagerly await the legislative and congressional districts that the Commission will draw in time for the 2022 elections.
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Voters Not Politicians is a nonpartisan advocacy organization that works to strengthen democracy by engaging people across Michigan in effective citizen action. Learn more at www.votersnotpoliticians.com.